Fonds 0520 - Anton Dahl family fonds

Anton Dahl was born in St. Paul , Minnesota, in 1858, after his father immigrated to Minnesota from Oslo, Norway in 1850. His father was a blacksmith. Anton was married in North Dakota in 1888, and in 1889, their first son, Elmer was born. The family moved to Roseau, Minnesota where nine more chiklren were born.

In 1909, Anton come to the Beaverlodge district and Ben and Elmer followed in 1912. Anton had filed on the quarter section NW 25-71-10 W6 and built a two storey16 x 16 house and an 18 x 18 barn. Ben and Elmer filed on quarters SE 6-71-10 and NW 32-70-10 respectively. That first summer, Anton and Elmer both bought a team of horses , harness and sleighs to make the trip back to Edson for supplies and then to Grouard to get freight from the Revillon store. In 1914, Elmer, Bert Johnson and Percy Mercereaux went to Grouard to haul government telegraph wire, one load to be unloaded between Lake Saskatoon and Beaverlodge, and the other left about four miles northwest of Beaverlodge. The wire was to be used to extend the service to Fort St. John. By 1919, Ben and Elmer had decided to work as a partnership and they built a log home on Ben's land. In 1920, Anton died in the Pouce Coupe hospital and was buried in Rolla cemetery.

Elmer married Anna Cage, the daughter of Wesley and Amanda Cage, in 1924. Ben went to Saskatchewan to manage his uncle's farm, but returned in 1930. In 1935 the two brothers dissolved their partnership. Ben married Byrl (Wartenbe) Elliott in 1938. In 1940, he sold his farm to Foster Wartenbe and moved to Beaverlodge where he built a feed barn. Byrl died in 1959 and Ben retired to the Hythe and District Pioneer Home.

Anna and Elmer have four children: Laura married Allan Hauger; William (b. 1927) married Josie Hauger; Joan married Einar Loven; and Karen married Rodney Ashton. In 1951, Bill and Josie bought the farm and Elmer and Anna built a house in Beaverlodge. Both Bill and Josie were active in community affairs: Bill was active in the curling club, served on the church board, as secretary for the U.G.G.and caretaker for the Halcourt cemetery. Josie served on the church board and as church secretary, taught Sunday School, was a member of the Halcourt Ladies Club and wrote a "Halcourt News" column for the Beaverlodge Advertiser. Bill and Josie's children are Larry, Robert, Douglas, Lorraine, Ricky, and Dorothy.